Sandblasting is commonly used to clean objects and surfaces in industrial applications, such as buildings, monuments, rock surfaces, machines, parts, and similar objects. In addition, the maintenance of some structures and parts often involves the regular cleaning of surfaces by sandblasting. Sandblasting is often faster and more economical than mechanical cleaning methods. Sandblasting works by throwing abrasive particles against the surface to be cleaned. As used herein, the term sandblasting includes techniques for propelling loose abrasive materials, as described below, for various cleaning, polishing, or roughening applications.
Known loose abrasives include aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, corn cob granules, walnut shells, plastic media, steel media, glass beads, and ground cullet. Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide abrasives are very hard materials, typically measuring between 9 and 9.5 on the MOHS scale. These materials are specially manufactured for their use as loose abrasives. Corn cob granules, walnut shells, and plastic media are much softer abrasives, measuring between 3 and 4.5 on the MOHS scale. The softer abrasives are useful in cleaning and polishing surfaces without damaging the substrate.
With the exception of corn cob granules, walnut shells and ground cullet, loose abrasive materials used in sandblasting and industrial cleaning applications are specially manufactured beads. For instance, glass beads function well, but they are not durable and tend to disintegrate into dust after two or three passes through the sandblasting apparatus. The specially manufactured bead products tend to be costly.
It would be a significant advancement in the art to provide a particulate material, suitable for sandblasting or industrial cleaning applications, which is effective, durable, and low cost. It would also be an advancement to provide a method of using such material in sandblasting or industrial cleaning applications.
Such particulate material and methods are disclosed herein.